Grand Tour of Scandinavia

Today you will either meet other group members at your home city’s airport and travel together on an overnight flight bound for Copenhagen, Denmark or you will meet the group at the airport in Copenhagen.

Welcome to Copenhagen! A group coach transfer from the Copenhagen Kastrup Airport will take you to your hotel. Dinner will be in the unique hotel restaurant.

Meals: D

After a buffet breakfast at the hotel, you will be taken on a three hour guided panoramic tour of the city. You will see the Amalienborg Palace, the residence of the Danish Royal Family; Gefion Fountain; Christiansbord Palace, the Danish Parliament buildlings; the old harbour of Nyhavn; and of course, the famous Little Mermaid. Your afternoon is free for exploring this fairytale city. Your tour escort will provide. Your tour escort will provide entrance tickets for the famous Tivoli Gardens

Meals: B

You will have a free morning in Copenhagen. After lunch, there will be an afternoon transfer by coach from the hotel to the DFDS Seaways terminal for your overnight cruise by ferry to Oslo, departing at 16:30. Enjoy your first Scandinavian smörgåsbord dinner as you cruise gently up the Kattegat.

Accommodation is 2-berth outside cabins with shower/WC. We recommend you bring an overnight bag for this cruise, to avoid having to carry suitcases to and from your cabin.

Meals: B, D

A delicious buffet breakfast will be served as you cruise along the enchanting Oslo Fjord. You will arrive at 9:30am, followed by a 3-hour guided tour of the Norwegian capital, including the impressive Vigeland Sculpture Park. You will have the afternoon free in Oslo. A visit to the Munch Museum or a stroll along the Karl Johan shopping boulevard would be a good way to spend the afternoon.

Meals: B, D

After breakfast you will visit the world-famous Viking Ships. Departing from Oslo, you will be driven via Hønefoss along the charming Halling Valley to the tourist resort town of Geilo. There will be a buffet lunch at the Bardøla Mountain Hotel.

After lunch, you will cross the wild Hardanger Mountain Plateau to Fossli, stopping to view the thundering Vøringsfoss Waterfall, with a vertical drop of 180m. You will descend the amazing Måbødal Canyon to the idyllic Hardanger Fjord. Cross the Hardanger Bridge and you will be en route to Ulvik.

Meals: B, L, D

After a buffet breakfast, you will start your scenic tour along the beautiful Hardanger Fjord, famous for its many fruit orchards. The route will  take you through the towns of Øystese and Norheimsung, arriving in Bergen around midday. You will have lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, you will have a 2-hour tour of Bergen, including a visit to the popular Fish and Flower Market, the famous Bryggen Harbour with its gabled pack houses, and the old Hanseatic Quarter. You will also ride on the funicular to Mt. Fløien, for the best views of the city and fjords below.

Meals: B, L

After breakfast, you will depart Bergen and drive via Dale to the town of Voss. In Voss, you will board the train for a ride on the beautiful Bergen Railway to the mountain station of Myrdal. From there, you will ride on the amazing Flåm Railway, a materpiece of engineering descending 2,838 feet in less than an hour. The descent to the fjord side village of Flåm offers opportunities for photos of exciting waterfalls and mountain scenery.

After a short rest in Flåm, you will start an approximately 2-hour cruise along the narrow Aurlands and Nærøy Fjords, both branches of the Sogn Fjord, the longest and deepest fjord in the world. Enjoy the spectacular scenery of cascading waterfalls, sheer mountain cliffs, snow-clad peaks, and a variety of wildlife.

After disembarking in Gudvangen at the head of the Nærøy Fjord, you will continue by coach through the amazing Stalheim Canyon and Nærøy Valley, across the Vika Mountains to Vangsnes, for the short ferry crossing to the beautiful resort of Balestrand.

Meals: B, D

You have a free day today in Balestrand, giving you the opportunity to enjoy the outstanding beauty and nature of the fjords. You may want to spend the morning relaxing on the hotel terrace, breathing in the fresh mountain air and enjoying the spectacular views. We can also recommend a visit to the local aquarium and art gallery, or you may prefer to rent a bike or rowing boat from the hotel, or even a hike to the nearest mountain. A walking tour of the village of Balestrand, with its historic buildings and other noteworthy sites, can also be arranged.

Meals: B, D

After a buffet breakfast, you will depart your hotel by ferry from Dragsvik to Hella, followed by a scenic tour along the northern side of the Sogn Fjord to Sogndal. The tour continues by road to Fjærland, passign under the Jostedal Glacier, the largest in Europe, to the village of Skei at the northern end of beautiful Lake Jølster. Descend to the Nord Fjord, making a detour at Olden to visit the world-famous Briksdal Glacier. The journey up to the glacier will be made in open cars to give you the best views. Lunch will be served in a nearby mountain restaurant.

After lunch, the tour continues around the Nord Fjord via Loen and Stryn, to the picturesque village of Hellesylt. From there, you will board the ferry for a 1-hour cruise along the spectacular Geiranger Fjord, possibly the most impressive of all the Norwegian fjords. During the cruise, you will pass by some magnificent waterfalls, such as the Bridal Veil and the Seven Sisters.

Meals: B, L, D

You will have a buffet breakfast at the hotel before leaving Geiranger. From the top of one of the serpentine roads, you have the opportunity to digest some amazing views of the fjord, before crossing the rugged Grotli Mountains to Lom, well known for its 14th century stave church. Please note, depending on the weather, it might not be possible to cross the mountains. If this is the case, you will go by ferry from Geiranger back to Hellesylt and continue the journey from there.

The tour continues via Lake Vågå before descending the magnificent Gudbrands Valley to the popular tourist town of Lillehammer, where you will stop for lunch.

After lunch, the journey continues alongside Lake Mjøsa, Norway’s largest lake and then back to Oslo.

Meals: B, L, D

After breakfast, you will depart Oslo, continuing by coach towards the Swedish border. You will cross into the attractive province of Värmland to arrive in the city of Karlstad on Lake Vänern, the largest lake in Sweden, where you will have lunch.

After lunch, the tour continues through a landscape of forests and sparkling lakes to reach the Swedish capital in the late afternoon.

Meals: B, L, D

After breakfast at the hotel, you will take a 4-hour guided tour of the city. You will see famous sights, such as the Royal Palace, the Parliament Buildings, the Cathedral, the Royal Theatre, and more. You will also visit the enchanting Old Town (Gamla Stan) with its narrow cobbled streets and numerous antique shops.

The highlight of the tour is a visit to City Hall, with its famous Blue and Golden halls where the Nobel Prize banquet is held each year. You will have the afternoon free to explore Stockholm with the possibility to visit the famous Wasa Museum or take one of the popular canal tours.

Meals: B

After breakfast, your morning is free to explore Stockholm before your afternoon transfer from the hotel to the pier. You will board the ferry at 17:00 for a delightful cruise on the Silja Line which sails slowly through the glorious archipelago and past numerous small islands. You will have dinner on board the ship with your choice of entertainment, bars, shops and casino.

We recommend bringing an overnight bag for this cruise to avoid having to carry a suitcase to and from the cabin.

Meals: B, D

Enjoy your buffet breakfast as you sail into Helsinki. After disembarking, you will have a 3-hour guided tour of the city. Famous sights include: the Senate Square, Uspenski Cathedral, Parliament House, Finlandia Hall, Sibelius Park & Monument, Underground Temple, and much more. You will have the afternoon free to explore Helsinki on your own before dinner at the hotel.

Meals: B, D

Transfer to the Helsinki airport and board your flight home. Time to say farewell to Finland.